


Our Self-Made Vows

by parkadescandal



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Paopu Fruit (Kingdom Hearts), Thinly Veiled Allusions To 'Chikai', Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 07:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkadescandal/pseuds/parkadescandal
Summary: A modest paoposal.





	Our Self-Made Vows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [princethestripper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princethestripper/gifts).



> For the esteemed [princethestripper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/princethestripper/pseuds/princethestripper) who asked for a wedding, which I was only mildly* terrified of writing. I hope that you enjoy. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> *excessively, extraordinarily, and excruciatingly

“You’d wanted one. Didn’t you?” Riku says, walking over to meet Sora at the tree where they’d spent most of their childhood. He tosses a paopu fruit at him, who grabs it in midair. 

“Yeah, I did,” Sora says, breaking it in half. “I do.” He holds on to one piece and tosses back the other. Riku is startled enough to catch it, eyes wide. 

“I didn’t think you meant it,” he says. “The legend says forever. We don’t know what that means, you can’t be sure about this.”

“Why do you always like to tell me what I am and am not sure about?” Sora replies as he raises his hand to his mouth, to catch the juice of his half of the fruit before it falls down his fingers. He grossly slurps on the rest of it so it doesn’t continue to drip and says around a bite, “I said it, didn’t I?” 

“I’m sorry. But please don’t kid around with me. You’re not very good at it,” Riku says, crossing his arms. 

“I’m _not_ kidding. You would know if I was because I’m actually good at everything,” he says with a matter-of-fact bite. He smiles smugly. 

“See, I knew you’d say that. The only thing you’re good at is being predictable. You can’t surprise me.” 

“Oh, you bet, huh?” Sora says around a mouthful before pulling him down by the collar of his shirt for the sloppiest kiss of his life--with the added bonus of a piece of paopu transferred mouth to mouth. In an instant Sora reaches up and covers Riku’s mouth with one hand until he’s sure that he won’t propel it directly from his mouth, to Riku’s great horror. Sora holds steady for a moment, watching him close his eyes and take a resigned breath before he swallows. Dissatisfied, Sora pries his mouth open with two hands and makes as if he is looking down his throat, and finds it devoid of any evidence. 

“How can you be so sure?” Riku says after a moment, frozen to the spot. His arms remain rigid at his sides, hands clenched in half-hearted fists. His half of the fruit has fallen to the ground, enticingly collecting sand. 

“Guess I can’t change my mind now,” Sora grins. “But I already knew that.” 

“Why are you always so reckless!” 

“Committing to you is the least reckless thing I’ve done this week. You’re not going anywhere. Are you?” 

Riku levels him with a glare, face coloring. 

“Not in a million years,” he says in a breath. “Actually,” he continues, and then reaches toward his pocket to pull something out, hand still closed around it. “I was in Corona on a mission with the king. He was busy, but...” 

He shakes his head and waves the thought away. 

“I met this blacksmith. One of the last attacks had broken up some things in his workshop, and I helped him put them back together. He insisted.” 

Once the last anvil had been raised again, Xavier could not express his thanks enough--while there wasn’t as much demand for his services from the castle now, running a business without a working smithy would have posed difficulties. _“A new blade?”_ he’d offered, to Riku’s amusement. _“Armor? Mail?”_ but he’d politely declined, expressing that he already had all of these things. 

“Jewelry, then,” Xavier had said with triumph, stopping Riku before he could argue again. “I won’t let you leave without a token of my gratitude. Something to give to someone you care about. It won’t take long.” 

“I don’t...there isn’t anything--”

“Maybe not now, but one day, perhaps, you’ll find the love you want to share it with. I'll make a necklace. Or maybe a pendant?” 

“He’s already got a neckla--” and Riku had caught himself then, coloring and abruptly looking away. 

“And no room for another?” Xavier says with a smile, offering a hand. Riku squints briefly in curiosity but offers his own hand for him to peer at and make judgement. “There’s always another option.” 

And that option was now nestled securely in his palm. Glinting in the sunlight that was just starting to peek out over the horizon were two rings to match it.

“You mean...you wanna get married?” Sora says, leaning in to take a closer look.

“ _No,_ that’s not what I’m saying, I’m just--”

“Sure.”

“Excuse me?” 

“I said yeah, let’s get married.” 

Riku sighs, a deep movement in his chest, and looks for help from somewhere on the ground. He drops his arms in defeat, rings safely held in his fist, but Sora reaches out to take his hand before it falls to his side. He pries open his hand so he can pluck the rings from it. With one hand he raises his to the sun. Riku watches him remain mesmerized for a moment by the glow. Satisfied, Sora slips it on the correct finger before picking up Riku’s hand to put the other on his. Riku looks down at it for a minute, flexes his fingers once, twice, then curls his hand to bring it to his side once more, where he worries the ring with his thumb. 

“This isn’t quite what I meant.” 

“So why would you show me if you weren’t going to ask me?” Sora asks, reaching for his hands, pulling his arms down so his eyeline will follow and catch his imploring stare. He shakes his head. 

“It was more a concept than a proposal. Like...like the good luck charm you have.”

“So you don’t want to marry me?” 

“It’s...ridiculous. Why would we need to get _married_?” Riku's expression is tight. “Why complicate something I already learned by heart? How is this a good way to show you that I lo--”

“Humor me, then?” 

“What?” 

“You don’t need to show me anything. But it would be nice, wouldn’t it? Say yes.” 

“No, I can’t, I--”

“That’s not a yes. Or a good answer. Tell me yes.” 

They stare, for a moment--it might be a long one.

“Please,” Sora exhales, “tell me yes.” 

Riku blinks slowly, letting a smile sneak in to crook the corners of his mouth and give him away. 

“Yeah. Yeah. Let’s get married.” 

“Great!” he says, with a demanding tug on one arm, dragging him over to the shore. “Let’s go, then.” 

“Go? Go where? You don’t mean _now_ \--”

“What?” he says, smiling over his shoulder. “You wanted a long engagement?” 

“I’m barely even engaged enough to think about what I wanted.”

Sora summons his blade and with a little flourish opens up a portal. 

“Should I even ask?” Riku says, but there’s really no need--they’re already ensconced within the walls of Mickey’s glittering palace. “Wait.” 

Sora tugs him along down the colonnade, choosing not to acknowledge Riku’s growing bewilderment. He stops, peering out at the garden, and cups his hands to his face. 

“ _Goofy!_ ” he whisper-shouts into the air. “ _Goofy! Where are you!_ ” 

As if summoned, Goofy aimlessly meanders into the courtyard, whistling something tunelessly. 

“Goofy!” 

He looks over, squints for a moment before turning away and then back in dramatic double take, before he and Sora run to meet each other halfway, jumping delightedly in place. Goofy barely gets out a ‘heya’ before Sora grips him by the shoulders and shouts at him. 

“I need a favor! You used to tell me about how it was sometimes your job to marry people in the castle.”

“Yuh huh,” Goofy says, cautiously looking back and forth. 

“Well, Riku and I are getting married. Can you help?”

“Shucks. That’s nice.” Goofy looks over at Riku, who is actively avoiding eye contact. “Now, uh, when do ya think that’s gonna happen?”

“Um. I was kinda thinking right now,” Sora says. 

A look of consternation crosses Goofy’s face. 

“Well,” he says, scratching his head. “I can work with that. But you gotta make sure it’s done right, y’know. If you don’t have witnesses then it ain’t legally bindin’.”

“Goofy,” Riku speaks up, finally, “That’s very nice of you, but you don’t--”

“I’ll go get Donald!” Goofy says. “Now, doncha go nowheres,” he calls over his shoulder while skedaddling in the other direction. 

Left once again to their own devices, Sora and Riku stand quietly for a moment. 

“This has been nice but it’s time to go now,” Riku says in a rush, going so far as to reach out as if to call his keyblade. 

“ _No take backs_ ,” Sora says, grabbing him by the collar before he can make his hasty retreat. Just then, as promised, Goofy returns, entourage in tow--not just Donald, but the King as well. 

“Mickey,” Riku chokes out, frozen in his escape, caught dead to rights by the intimidating glare of the king of Disney Castle himself. 

“Oh boy!” Donald says, rubbing his hands together. “We haven’t done one of these in a while.” 

The three of them stand there looking up at them expectantly. 

“You ready?” Sora says, looking over with a smile.

“ _No_ \--” 

Goofy has pulled out some sort of script and clears his throat maybe several times more than necessary. 

“Heya, everyone! We’re here today to help these two get hitched.” 

“Is that...is that what it says?” Riku mutters weakly. 

“It’s a real special day, because these two’re gonna be together forever,” Goofy continues. “Even when they’re not really actually together. 'Cuz, uh...” 

Goofy trails off, staring off into space for a moment. Donald suddenly develops a debilitating cough, and Goofy hyucks his way back on track. 

“'Cuz they got their hearts connected! Gawrsh, may everyone be as lucky to have someone care about them the way these two care about each other. Congratulations! I now pronounce you Keyblade Master and Keyblade Master.” 

There’s a smattering of light applause. Their witnesses put their hands up to cover their eyes and peek through their hands, but Sora only reaches up to fling his arms around Riku’s neck, jostling him where he stands. 

“Hooray!” Mickey shouts. 

“Welp, that’s all!” Goofy says with satisfaction. Once again they stand around with a pleasant air of anticipation. 

“Thanks, guys,” Sora says, pulling away and taking one of Riku’s hands in his own, giving it a squeeze before he pulls it up to give it a kiss. “We really appreciate it.” 

“Any time!” Goofy says. Donald and Mickey both turn to look at him. “Er. Well, not any time.”

“Good luck, you two,” Donald says, then turns to waddle away while the others follow suit, once again leaving them alone. 

“So that’s it, huh,” Riku says, the wind pulled from his sails directing him to a seat amongst the shrubbery. 

“That’s it!” Sora says, joining him. 

“Okay.” Subdued, Riku once again looks for solace from the ground. 

“Okay? Just okay?” 

“It was perfect,” Riku says with a touch of amusement. “But. It wasn’t exactly what I imagined.”

“I mean, it’s just a formality. That part’s not as important as everything else that comes after.” 

“No, no. That’s not what it is. I didn’t want-- It’s that you’re not taking this seriously. You don’t understand, not really.” 

“I… Well. What, uh. What do you want?”

“I wanted to make it very clear just what exactly you signed up for here. To make my promises.” 

“You don’t need to promise me--”

“Shut up for a second, would you?” 

Sora stops mid sentence, mouth agape for a moment before he shuts it, then nods. 

“I’m glad you got an audience, if that’s what you wanted. I don’t think we need anyone at all, but I’m fine with whatever as long as it makes you happy.” Riku puts up a hand in warning before Sora can respond. “As long as you give me a chance to say all the stuff people would expect you to tell someone you’re getting married to.” 

Sora nods once again. Riku takes a breath. 

“I need you to know that I want to stand by your side every day and lie next to you every night. That I want to...to cherish every single second I get with you, and laugh with you, and see different worlds with you. I want to be the one who protects you-- _let me finish_ \--even though I know you can do it on your own.” 

Riku looks away, staring off for a moment with a smile. 

“I want to be the one that reflects light back from your darkness, if you ever needed it. Since I know how now. I learned from the best, after all.” 

Riku takes his hand, then slowly moves on to one knee. 

“I did really like one thing about the ceremony,” he says, looking up and clasping Sora’s hand between both of his. “I could always use the reminder that we’re together even when we’re not. Will you keep me there, in your heart?” 

Not even the bushes dare rustle for an extended moment. 

“Imagine if I’d given you time to rehearse,” Sora sniffs hoarsely after a moment, pulling a hand down his face before placing it on his heart. “Even if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else there.”

He pulls Riku up to meet him and with choreographed grace they fall together, Riku reaching up to put Sora’s face in his hands with a sure grip so that he could lean in and kiss him sweetly. 

_“_ I’m sorry we didn’t get it right the first time,” Sora says when they break apart. “But we could always do it again. It’d be a shame not to now, I think.” 

“I’m not certain that was as _legally bindin’_ as advertised, anyway,” Riku laughs. “Can’t hurt.” 

"Guess we better start planning."

**Author's Note:**

> Wed me once, wed me twice, wed me three times, _beeeeeeeeeee miiiiiiiinnnnnneeeeeeeee_. 
> 
> Gosh, I'm so sorry I always write Riku: Harlequin Romance Hero. He's like, bopping around _Northanger Abbey_ in the downtime or something waiting to gush and genuflect and self-flagellate and the like. 
> 
> I can't stop listening to these [two](https://youtu.be/DpLo8vlHegM) [songs](https://youtu.be/bhtoDhlffsE) on constant loop--they provided an assist with the tone I needed to capture here.


End file.
